How a Haunted House Shed Light on my Faith

My good friend Stewart has long had a dream to open his very own full-scale haunted house.  He has pursued this obsession with much passion over the past two years. He has attended conventions dedicated to all aspects of running such an establishment.  He secured a building, brought it up to code, fireproofed the walls, built scenes, bought props, made a website, posted photos on Facebook, and hired actors and make-up artists.  And, even when it has been stressful, he has done all of this with a twinkle in his eye.  He has invested a LOT of blood, sweat and tears in this dream of his, and although I’m a huge fraidy-cat and haunted houses are not really my idea of fun, I promised Stewart that I would go through his haunted house. Because I'm a good friend. But more importantly, because he's a good friend. Plus, who could say "no" to someone with that much excitement to share the fruit of his labors?

Bryan & Nathon went through the haunt on opening night, back at the end of September.  All month long, I’ve been very nervous about the prospect of being terrorized by zombies and seeing gory images forever in my nightmares.  Last weekend, I reluctantly sent Stewart a message to let me know what night would be least busy this week, and he wrote back to say I should come on Tuesday.  Try as I might to get friends or family to go with me, nobody would join me. Not ONE person! (Who knew I had such wimpy friends?  I guess Christians are just that way when it comes to haunted houses, but that's a completely different topic for another blog post.) My point is... I was completely on my own Tuesday night, but I wanted to keep my promise to my friend.

I was still really nervous as I drove there in the rain, but as I got out of my car, the first thing I saw was Stewart walking toward me.  He escorted me through the parking lot - (They have creepy actors meandering around and interacting with the patrons) - and took me to the ticket window to let his wife, Tricia, know that I was there.  Then he took me around to the front entrance and had me wait in the lobby for a minute before going inside.  As I stood there in the dark, listening to the scary sounds inside, I was surprised to find that I didn't feel afraid.  I was looking around at the mural on the walls, and seeing all of the texture and detail - actually APPRECIATING all the talent and effort and vision that these people had to be able to put this together.  Instead of feeling fear, I just felt so proud of them and all they've accomplished. 

When Stewart and Tricia rejoined me in the lobby, he showed me even more details with his little flashlight.  Then Tricia said she would walk with me through the haunt.  We walked together through the creeky door into the first room, which featured an above-ground cemetery and an actor who kept talking to me and Tricia like some mad, crazed zombie.  He would come up behind me and make slurpy noises in my ear.  He even knew my name, thanks to my good buddy Stewart.  As we walked through a hallway crypt, a spinning tunnel of bones, a swamp, a spider room, a horrifying dentist's office with the Tooth Fairy looming overhead, a graveyard with the headless horseman, and a haunted mansion featuring more gruesome zombies, Tricia stayed slightly ahead of me and talked to me about different features and scenes the entire time.  Any time someone popped out of a window, or jumped out from behind a wall, they got in her face first. And we LAUGHED.  And, even though I had come by myself, I had a sense that I was never alone. And I was so glad that I went.

As I drove home, I got to thinking how Tuesday night was like my life.  And my faith.  This world can be a nightmarish place sometimes. You never know what's lurking around the next corner.  Things can seem to happen unexpectedly, even though they may have been part of somebody's design.  Strangers may not always be nice people. They could be chasing after you, or waiting to pounce.

(If you've never been to a haunted house, you might not know that one of the cardinal rules is that the actors aren't supposed to touch you.  That did bring me some comfort, knowing they couldn't "get" me.)

Even with all the creepy sights, sounds and smells (?!), I was amazed that I did not feel afraid. As I walked through this alternate universe with the ones who created it, I had confidence that nothing would harm me. They had intended this haunted house for fun, and they were excited to share the experience with me.

So, as we walk through this beautiful crazy world that God created for our pleasure, we can have every confidence that He will protect us, that He is with us every step of the way, and that He loves us. He wants to enjoy His creation with us, walk with us through all of our life experiences (good and bad), and build a relationship with us built on love and trust. Knowing that God is good, God is faithful, and God is love helps us to trust Him when we're not so sure that we are safe.